In His Place
by Sadako- Tokumei Kibou
Summary: Aang doesn't want another guy to take his place in Katara's life.


**A/N: **This fic takes place after "Jet" and before "The Great Divide" in Book 1: Water. The idea for this fic came to me after I saw how heartbroken Katara seemed after being deceived by her first crush, and though I think she handled it in a mature manner (especially for her age), I thought I'd delve a little more into her thoughts about it. Let me know what you think!

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Avatar: The Last Airbender. Mainly because my name isn't Bryan or Mike. Bummer.

**In His Place**

Another day of adventure had come to an end as the sun disappeared for the night, and the silvery moon took its place in the dark, star-studded sky. A group of young travelers had sought shelter in a safe and secluded area til morning, and were glad to have found a clear, lush plain located near a forest. No one was entirely sure who had been more glad to see it: Aang, who was eager to stretch his legs after a long flight and find a place for Appa to rest, or Sokka, whose deep hunger he knew would be satisfied by the berries and prey in the forest. Or perhaps Katara was the most grateful to finally find a place to camp, as she found it difficult to maintain a composed demeanor for hours on end, thanks to the painful thoughts and memories occupying her mind.

"Yahoooooooo!"

An overjoyed and enthusiastic Aang immediately leapt from Appa's saddle as soon as the faithful, flying bison had landed, and began to dash about the plain, stretching his legs as he rapidly ran several laps. Behind him scrambled Sokka, who was wildly waving his boomerang and forewarning all creatures of the forest that the "great Sokka has arrived!"

Katara shook her head and smiled a bit as she eyed her brother and the Avatar. Those two were about as crazy and carefree as guys could be. She was grateful for them, though. She didn't know what she'd do without them...

Exiting Appa's saddle in her usual careful manner, she rubbed the bison's fur and thanked him for flying the group again today. Appa gave an appreciative grunt and nuzzled against her warm hand. Katara looked over her shoulder to see Aang and Sokka still running about. Momo, who had joined them, was crazily flying in circles above their heads. They were too lost in enjoying themselves to be practical at the moment, which Katara thankfully was, as she remembered their belongings still located in the saddle.

"Hey, guys!" she called out to the boys, who stopped goofing around and turned at the sound of her voice. "Yes, ma'am!" they answered in unison, standing at attention with a salute.

Katara playfully rolled her eyes and had to hold back a giggle of sorts. She gestured toward the saddle. "Don't get so carried away that you forget we have to make camp and find some dinner."

"I'm right on it!" declared Sokka with another salute, and about-faced towards the forest, marching ahead. But Aang reached out and put a hand on the older boy's shoulder, turning him back in his direction. Sokka stuck his tongue out and impishly teased, "Don't worry. I'll be sure to collect plenty of berries, nuts and stuff like that since the wonderful Avatar won't touch any meat, no matter how delicious it may be."

Aang half scowled, then grew solemn, his gray eyes staring intently at Sokka's. "I'll take care of dinner. Go and help Katara set up camp."

Sokka raised an eyebrow at the Avatar's words, and glanced at his sister several feet away. She was bringing their belongings out of Appa's saddle and settling them on a designated spot. "I think you should talk to her," he heard Aang continue. "Something is off about her..."

Sokka made eye contact with Aang again, and saw concern and knowledge in the younger boy's eyes. The concern no doubt was derived from his feelings for her, but the knowledge was even greater. Both boys never said so, but they knew Katara hadn't been content lately. And as much as he wished to console her, Aang had a feeling that Sokka needed to be the one to be there for his sister.

Sokka nodded determinedly. "Alright, I'll go see what's wrong."

A minute after he and Aang parted ways, Sokka turned back. "Do y'think you can bring back some pheasant quail? I've been having dreams about that with a side of potatoes."

Aang's face ran blank. "Go."

***

Katara looked up as she heard footsteps approaching, and smiled a bit as she saw Sokka coming toward her with firewood in his arms. "Hey," she said gently, grateful for the extra help in setting things up. Sokka returned the smile, knelt and began to build a fire. He was contemplating the appropriate way to start a conversation with her, one that he was sure she would not enjoy rehashing, but needed to occur nonetheless.

"Where did Aang go?" Katara questioned, laying out everyone's sleeping bags neatly.

"He went to find some food and took Momo with him. He shouldn't be too long," Sokka replied, warming his hands by the now lively campfire. He glanced at his sister cautiously, then added, "Katara, is there something you wanna talk about?"

The young girl joined him in warming her hands by the fire, and raised an eyebrow at his question. "Nothing in particular...why?"

"It's just...you haven't been yourself lately," Sokka continued with a frown. "Maybe it'd be best to talk about whatever's bothering you. I won't crack any jokes. You talk, I'll listen."

Katara attempted to smile at him wearily, and whispered, "I was that obvious, huh?"

"You're my sister. I know you, and I know when something's wrong," was the simple reply.

Katara looked away, leaning back into the warmth of Appa's fur behind her. She folded her hands together and rested them atop her stomach, her thumbs idly twiddling with each other. "I..." she began quietly. "I've been thinking about Jet." She quickly glanced at Sokka; a frown immediately graced his face. "You've been thinking about that loser?" he questioned irritably, prodding at the fire with a stick.

Katara took her eyes off him, nodding slowly. A look of sorrow crossed her face. "I know he's a loser, but he was also... I cared about him, Sokka..."

Her brother grew silent, and he continued to poke at the fire, glancing in her direction every so often.

"I know he's a jerk, a liar and completely uncompassionate, and I don't like him anymore, but... it hurts," Katara whispered. She swallowed to suppress a lump in her throat, and blinked back tears. No, she wouldn't do this...not here, not now. She had managed to bury her feelings elsewhere; she wouldn't allow herself to let go...

"It's the first time you ever cared about somebody this way," Sokka observed somberly. "And it didn't work out..of course it hurts. I understand that. Jet's lucky we're so far away from him now. If I ever run into him again..." He trailed off, digging at the earth outside the flame, bending the stick until it snapped into two pieces.

He looked over at Katara again and noted she had paled a bit. He didn't need to finish his sentence; they both had an idea of what he would do to make the older boy pay dearly. He also knew that Katara knew he was dead serious too; if he actually got the chance, he would fight Jet to the death without a second thought.

His voice softened with his next question, "What did you like about Jet anyway?"

Katara stared at the heart of the flame, her eyes following its movements. "I thought he was a really neat fighter," she drawled, slightly wistful. "He just seemed like a cool guy...I liked how confident and ambitious he was... his heart seemed to be in the right place at the time. He was a sweet talker and very handsome... I thought that maybe he'd like me too."

Her voice grew very quiet. "I really liked him...and it hurt so much more to realize he had betrayed us. Sokka, do you think it was stupid of me to think he'd like me?"

For the first time since their conversation started, Sokka made full eye contact with his sister, as solemn as he could ever be. "No, Katara, I don't. _He_ was the stupid one for not liking you for who you are. You're a great girl that would make any guy happy. Jet just isn't the right one for you. I had a feeling he'd be a jerk."

"How did you know?"

Sokka raised an eyebrow at her. "Trust me, a guy can pick up on another guy being fake. Plus, the idiot let his true colors show too soon. I could tell he was an ass."

***

Being in charge of dinner was an easy task for the Avatar, and in no time Aang had quickly gathered enough fruits and vegetables to feed everyone. He took off his tunic and wrapped the large pile of food in it. Then he headed down to the river he had discovered just beyond the edge of the woods. Although he wouldn't eat them, he thought he'd catch a few fish for Sokka and Katara, more for the sake of the former. He knew how the warrior boy felt about meat. Aang caught the fish with ease and wrapped them in large leaves before placing them with the fruits and vegetables.

"Ready to go, Momo?" he asked his furry, little companion. The lemur growled happily and perched on his shoulders, sniffing the bundle in his arms.

Aang smiled and slipped his pet a small berry. Momo chewed it gratefully, staining the fur around his mouth pink. Aang couldn't help but smile.

He wanted to explore the beautiful woods, but decided he'd better not hold up dinner. A certain someone would be quite cranky. He spotted the campfire in the distance and began to head back, being cautious not to spill the food. He could hear Sokka and Katara's voices as he approached the campsite, and noticed the confused, soft and sad tone in Katara's voice. It was something he hadn't enjoyed hearing before, and it concerned him to know something was deeply bothering Katara.

He wondered what that something was as he neared the thicket of bushes just before the campsite. He crouched to avoid being spotted, and frowned as he heard Katara crying softly. He nearly squished the food wrapped in the tunic at his chest, and sighed gently as he calmed himself. It was no good to get angry since Sokka was there for Katara.

He stayed hidden for several minutes, listening to Sokka's gentle voice as he comforted his sister and Katara's cries wane into mere sniffles. There... she was all better now, wasn't she? It was time to prepare dinner now...

However, Aang couldn't get rid of the curiosity tugging at his heart, and he knew he had to figure out what was making Katara upset.

He knew it was wrong to eavesdrop, but...

***

"I'm sorry..." Katara said softly, running her forearm across her tear-stained face. She sniffled and bit her lip as she stared down at her feet. She had failed to be strong once again, and was grateful to her big brother for letting her have her tears and be the one to hold her as she let all her feelings out. Now that she had had her tears, however, she felt it was time to apologize for something she felt she had done for too long.

"For what?" Sokka questioned gently, glancing at her.

Katara sincerely looked him in the eyes, her voice still very soft. "For not trusting you most of the time... I should after everything you've done for me. I must be a pain to have as a little sister."

Sokka grinned. "Only sometimes."

His sense of humor had failed to cheer Katara up, as she glanced away sadly. She looked up again when she felt Sokka's hand on her shoulder.

"Seriously, though," he began with the solemnity he had before. "The right guy will come along. Maybe it's someone you never knew you'd end up falling for."

Katara smiled for the first time since the heavy conversation began. "Maybe you're right..."

***

_Maybe... Maybe he's closer than you think,_ Aang thought shyly, his gray eyes full of desire for the beautiful Waterbender glowing by the firelight.

***

"Of course I'm right!" Sokka half-exclaimed, throwing his hands up in the air. He pretended to boast for a moment before giving her a serious look again. "There's someone out there you deserve, Katara, and he deserves you too. Don't let anyone else be in his place."

Katara nodded. "I won't. I promise, Sokka."

"Good," Sokka smiled. It was at that moment that his stomach began to growl loudly. He clutched it and groaned longingly. "Uhhhh, Aang, where are you? I could use some pheasant quail about now."

Aang couldn't help but laugh as he emerged from the woods and rejoined his friends by the campfire. "Here I am, Sokka. I couldn't find any pheasant quail, but I brought you meat just the same." He laid out the food on his tunic and glanced at Katara. "Look," he said softly. "I brought your favorite cloudberries..."

Katara seemed pleased to see the healthy produce Aang had brought back to eat, and smiled at him, unknowingly sending a tingle down his spine. "Thanks, Aang. They look delicious."

Aang blushed, and suddenly felt grateful for the reddish hue of the firelight that covered everyone. He couldn't help but return Katara's beautiful smile, and admire her captivating, cerulean eyes. _I'll tell you how I feel one day, Katara, _he thought bravely. _I'll tell you how I feel about you...and how I don't want any one else to be in that special place in your heart. I...don't want anyone in my place..._

"Oww!"

Sokka dropped the fish he had been roasting on a stick over the fire, and let his burnt tongue hang out of his mouth. "Owwwww..."

Katara grinned and playfully rolled her eyes. "Why don't you ever wait until the food cools for once?"

"Cuh I hungee."

"What?"

"'Cause he's hungry," Aang replied, having easily understood what Sokka meant. Sokka began to whine about his injury, until Katara relieved him by bending some water into his mouth. She watched Sokka and Aang eat heartily, the two of them never seeming to slow down or breathe. "Don't you want to slow down a little there...?"

It appeared her question went unheard as the boys were only interested in filling their stomachs. She noticed Momo and Appa eating their share of dinner as if they were starved wolves. She knew they had gone several hours without eating today, but whatever happened to manners...?

Katara raised an eyebrow and sighed, eating delicately . "Men..."

Aang looked up from his dinner in his lap and smiled coyly at her. "Women..."

Katara blushed and looked away. She thought his focus was on the food, like Sokka's had been, and not on anything she might have been saying. Well, it figures. She smiled as she watched over Aang and Sokka, then sighed. She loved her men. They would always have a place in her heart.

And, she secretly wished to herself, she hoped she would soon find the man to take that special place in her heart and soul.

End.


End file.
